Goodbye
by Liza Mondragon
Summary: "My eyes burned with tears, threatening to break free. This was all my fault. How could I have been so stupid? Now, because of my stubbornness, my best friend in all the Nine Worlds was dying, and there was nothing I could do about it." An alternate universe where Hearth gets stabbed in HoT instead of Blitz. Major character death. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**Um…hi? I'm so sorry for my long hiatus. Please read my profile for further details.**

 **Anyways, I was just browsing through my old files when I found this gem. I wrote it sometime after reading** _ **Hammer of Thor,**_ **when I had just discovered MCGA.**

 **Also, this will not contain Blitzstone. I'm still having an internal debate whether I want their relationship to be romantic or platonic, but for the purposes of this fic, their relationship will be strictly platonic.**

 **Warning: Possible OOC-ness.**

…

Loki commanded Randolph to attack, and he obeyed.

My first thought was that he would attack Sam. Magnus must've thought the same thing, for he stepped in front of her comatose body. Unexpectedly, Randolph rushed right past them.

It took me about half a second to realize he was aiming for me.

My eyes widened. Time seemed to slow down. My legs froze. I was glued to the spot. Randolph might have impaled me right then and there if a tall figure hadn't stepped in front of me at the last second.

With a cry of horror, Magnus's crazed uncle stabbed the sword in my best friend's gut.

Hearth stumbled backwards and fell to one knee. He clutched the wound, blood seeping through his fingers, staining his clothes. I screamed his name and caught him, setting him against the wall. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, whispering that it was fine, he would be alright, even though I knew full well he wouldn't be able to hear me.

I called for Magnus, and he was at our side in an instant. He immediately placed his hands on the wound, and he tried to heal it.

Keyword: _Tried_.

I sensed something was wrong. Magnus's hands were glowing with enough Frey-power to damage my best fireproof jacket, but Hearth's face was still scrunched up in pain. I immediately started panicking.

Magnus stood up and shouted at Loki, "What do you want, Loki?! How do I heal Hearth?!"

The god sneered. "Oh, didn't your little friends tell you? Thankfully, those two questions have the same answer."

Magnus whipped his head around to face me. "Blitz, what's he talking about?!"

I was about to say that I didn't know, when Hearth signed weakly, _He wants the stone._

I knew which stone he was talking about.

Loki continued, "Wounds from the Skofnung Sword _never_ heal. They just bleed out forever…or until death, whichever comes first. The only way to heal them would be with the Skofnung Stone. I didn't think my daughter's wedding would be enough incentive, but the death of one of your precious friends?"

His lips curled into a malicious grin, as if he was amused by the idea. I gritted my teeth. If Hearth weren't bleeding out in front of me, I would've punched that smile off his face.

"Consider this your first and final warning, Magnus Chase. You have until the wedding to deliver both sword and stone. The dwarf knows where it is. And _do_ get a proper tuxedo. Come along now, Randolph. Chop-chop!"

Randolph winced, and the two of them disappeared. I turned to Hearth. He wasn't looking much better. To say I was worried would be a _huge_ understatement. He had already cast three runes today, which had already weakened him considerably. I barely registered Sam waking up and rushing to our side. "Oh gods, what _happened_?!" she cried.

"Blitz?! What stone was Loki talking about? Where is it?!" exclaimed Magnus.

"It's at…it's at Hearth's old place, in Alfheim." I replied, wincing at the reminder of Hearth's past.

"Then let's go get it!"

 _No,_ signed Hearth with difficulty. _Do not retrieve the stone. Not worth it. And not enough time. I will die._

Those words hit it home.

My eyes burned with tears, threatening to break free. This was all my fault. How could I have been so stupid? Now, because of my stubbornness, my best friend in all the Nine Worlds was dying, and there was nothing I could do about it. We were losing him, and we all knew it.

I wanted to tell him he was worth everything to me, that I would do anything for him, but I did the exact opposite.

"It'll be over soon, buddy. Just close your eyes. Go…" My voice cracked. "Just go to sleep."

He smiled weakly at me, closed his eyes, and exhaled.

The tears fell.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! Belated Merry Christmas! Since I'm on break, I thought I would give you this new chapter. It's pretty short, but it explains why Hearth was stabbed despite the runes pointing to Blitz. Hope y'all enjoy!**

…

 _Hearthstone narrowed his eyes when the runes in front of him rearranged themselves. His brow furrowed as he attempted the spell again, with the same results._

Hey, buddy! What are you doing? _signed Blitzen as he entered the room._

 _Hearth repeated the spell. The runes didn't budge._ I am trying to foretell the future.

You can do that? _Blitz signed. Hearth nodded absently. The dwarf walked over and set down a sandwich on the nearby table._ Here. You'd better not be overexerting yourself.

 _The elf tried again. No luck. Hearth could already feel the effort draining him. He took a bite of the sandwich and smiled. Peanut butter. His favorite._

 _He frowned once more, reading the runes. By now, he was worried. He was sure he was doing this right. The runes never lied, so that meant…_

 _Blitz must've noticed his expression, because he gave a curious look and signed,_ What do they say?

 _No. Blitz could not know. He made a sign._

" _Bloodshed?" said Blitz out loud, his expression mimicking Hearth's._

Yes. It is inevitable if we go with Magnus and Samirah, _he signed, making their respective name signs, his expression turning grim._

" _Does…does it say who? Is it you?!" the dwarf said worriedly._

 _Hearth quickly shook his head and grimaced. He had done that too quickly. He had to be more careful with his lie._ No, _he signed shakily, and pointed slowly to Blitz._

…

The vision ended, and the realization hit me hard. I crumpled to the ground, Hearth's runestone still glowing in my hands. _Kenaz._ Revelation.

The runes had never been talking about me after all.


End file.
